Your office space is the definition of close quarters. Everyone is in the same space, sharing equipment, and spending their entire workdays together. That means when one employee gets sick, it won’t be long until everyone else has caught the bug too. In a matter of days, you could have an office epidemic on your hands.

If you start to notice an outbreak of the flu – or any illness, for that matter – there are some things you can do to make sure you’re still able to do business efficiently out of your office.

All of us deal with some sort of stress on a regular basis. According to a 2017 survey by Gallup, 79% of Americans feel stressed sometimes or frequently throughout the day. Ignoring this stress can lead to a wide array of health issues – both mental and physical. It can also lead to burnout in the workplace.

Luckily, there are many things you can do to relieve stress. One method that has been gaining a lot of popularity throughout the past few years is meditation. In fact, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH), nearly 18 American million adults practice meditation. While meditation is an ancient practice, more and more people are beginning to utilize its relaxing powers to relieve stress and feel more productive.

Research has found many reasons why meditation is good for us, both mentally and physically. Here are nine science-backed reasons you should start meditating on a daily basis: 

Flu season is coming! Hopefully, this means that your company has an onsite flu clinic coming up. If you're having doubts about participating in this year’s flu clinic, we want to help you realize just how vital receiving your annual flu shot is. 

We know that the flu shot has gotten a bad rap in the past years. Common misconceptions have caused many Americans to shy away from getting vaccinated. Many also underestimate the health risks from the flu. Regardless of some of the things you’ve heard about the vaccine, it’s important to know that getting a flu shot is your #1 defense against the flu. 

So, if you have any doubts about participating in this year’s flu shot clinic, read this first: 

One of the most common excuses for skipping the gym is, “I don’t have the time.” We know how crazy busy most full-time employees are. And we’ll admit, finding time to exercise during the workday can be difficult! One of the ways we help our employees here at TotalWellness find more time for exercise is by offering free, on-site fitness classes.

Our Wellness Specialist, Crysta, started teaching fitness classes to her colleagues this July (2018), and we’ve seen some major positive impacts since then! We would like to share our experience – along with some tips – about our on-site fitness classes. We hope our interview with Crysta inspires some other employers to try out on-site fitness classes of their own!

With the help of a reliable flu shot vendor, organizing an onsite flu shot clinic becomes simple.

However, ensuring high employee participation presents a more significant challenge. Employee involvement is vital for the success of an onsite flu shot clinic. Without a sufficient number of employees getting vaccinated, there is a risk of a flu outbreak.

As a wellness leader at your workplace, you have the opportunity to promote onsite flu shots and encourage employees to get vaccinated. If this is your first year hosting a flu shot clinic, or if you haven’t achieved desired participation rates in the past, download our free flu shot promo materials and try out some of these ideas for promoting this year’s flu shot clinic at your office: 

When you take a look at your office desk, what do you see? Are there papers sprawled everywhere? Lingering trash from yesterday’s lunch? Or is there simply nothing but blank walls and empty desk space? Believe it or not, your personal workspace has the power to either positively or negatively impact your overall health and mental wellbeing.

Unhealthy workspaces can cause stress and make it difficult to concentrate at work. Not to mention, a chaotic workspace doesn’t exactly scream professionalism. By taking the time to organize and revamp your desk, office, or cubicle, you can boost productivity and help reduce some workplace stress.

Creating and maintaining a healthy workspace is about more than just getting rid of some clutter. It’s about creating a space that promotes healthy habits and helps you feel comfortable and calm throughout your workday. If your workspace makes you feel anything but zen, it might be time for a little makeover. 

Designing Healthy Workspaces

Is it possible to be surrounded by co-workers eight hours a day and still feel lonely? Unfortunately, the answer for many employees is “yes.” Loneliness is a more dangerous issue than it may sound. In fact, research found that loneliness and social isolation have the same effect on a person as 15 cigarettes a day when it comes to healthcare costs and outcomes. 

According to research from TotalJobs, 35% of surveyed employees don’t have any strong relationships at work. This is important for employers to note because when employees feel lonely at work, they tend to feel disconnected from their job. That means that not only does their emotional wellbeing suffer, but their work performance suffers, too.

The good news is that workplace loneliness can be an easy fix. With a bit of help from management and a leap of faith from employees, no one has to feel alone and isolated at work. Keep on reading to learn more about the perks of positive work relationships and some tips on how to combat workplace loneliness. 

Flu season is almost here! If you keep up with our blog and social media pages, you’ll know we’ve been talking a lot about the negative effects of the flu lately. That’s because we hope more employees get vaccinated this year. The flu is really nothing to leave up to chance. Without receiving an annual flu shot, your employees significantly raise their risk of falling ill with influenza.

But why does this matter to employers? Well, for one, all employers should care about the general health and wellbeing of their employees. Secondly, your company can’t perform it’s best when employees are sick with the flu. In fact, approximately 17 million workdays are lost due to the flu each year. And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this equates to $7 billion lost per year in sick days and lost productivity. 

However, through advanced education, proper planning, and corporate flu shots, you can help protect your employees and shield your business from taking a major hit this flu season. To minimize the effect of the flu on your business, there are seven key ways you can help protect your employees: 

Your physical workspace is more important to your health than you might think! Office employees spend about 40 hours a week at their desks, which is why a healthy workspace is important not only your work performance but to your physical and mental health as well. One of the easiest ways to make your workspace a little healthier and more enjoyable is by adding a plant. Research has shown that by simply adding a plant to your desk, you’ll help boost your wellbeing.

The 2015 Human Spaces report, which studied 7,600 office workers from 16 countries to examine the impact of the physical office environment on employees, found that employees who work in office environments with natural elements (including natural sunlight and greenery) report a 15% higher level of wellbeing, and are 6% more productive and 15% more creative. Unfortunately, the researchers also found that about 58% of workers have no live plants in their workspaces – despite the positive effects office plants have on employees.

Indoor plants offer a wide variety of incredible wellness benefits. Keep on reading to learn about how office plants can affect your wellbeing. Plus, we include some tips on which types of plants you should get for your workspace! 

When it comes to flu season, you want all of your employees protected. The flu can lead to some serious health risks and put an employee out for a full workweek. Hosting an on-site flu shot clinic is one of the best ways to help protect your employees and prevent an office flu epidemic.

However, things can get a bit tricky if you have remote employees. These employees should have the same opportunity to receive a free flu shot, just like your on-site employees. Just because these employees aren’t physically in the office doesn’t mean it won’t harm your business if they get sick. 

While a sick remote employee can’t necessarily spread the flu around the office, a sick employee is still a sick employee. Their productivity will plummet, and they’ll likely need at least a couple of days to fully recuperate from the flu. 

So, if you don’t want your remote employees falling ill with the flu this year, here’s what to do: